


Promise me love

by dandelionnie



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alpha Byun Baekhyun, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Angst, Arranged Marriage, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Park Chanyeol, Strangers to Lovers, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2020-08-20 09:40:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20225740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dandelionnie/pseuds/dandelionnie
Summary: After the death of his father, Alpha Prince Byun BaekHyun was ready to face many things. He was ready to fight the barbarians. He was ready to save his kingdom from the Hikas disease. He was ready to assume all the responsibilities that came with the Crown. But the one thing he was not ready to face was that the Omega he had engaged with was a man five years younger than him called Park ChanYeol.





	1. A good deal

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is the first time I post something in English about EXO so I'm not sure how this has turned. 
> 
> English is not my first language so I'm really sorry for any grammar mistakes and incoherences you'll probably find. Also, this first chapter is like an introduction to all I have planned for the fic, so I hope it is not too long or boring for you xD
> 
> I have the chapters roughly planned so I can't assure fast uploads, but I will try my best. And well, I hope you'll like it!

Byun BaekHyun, the Alpha Crown Prince of Mirda, knew that he had lost this battle. Their Kingdom, Mirda, had been fighting against the barbarians for almost one year and the fight that once seemed like a victory was now an unpredictable event.

The heavy rain and the muddy dirt were an obstacle for them to make a good attack against the barbarians. They needed to back up and returned to the camp or every soldier will die. BaekHyun looked behind him and nodded to his Second in command. It was time for them to run but the arrows fell from the sky too fast for them to react. The Alpha heard the screams from his man and the wild roars of the barbarians that had attacked them.

“Go back!” he screamed. “Go back!”

He saw his army do what he said, returning to a turtle positioning to be a shield from the arrows that kept falling. BaekHyun ran with them, sighing in relief when the barbarians didn’t follow them. Probably they were as exhausted as them. His black hair was stuck to his forehead because of the rain, his brown eyes were moving frenetically from side to side to see if his man were moving back with him.

“Move back, don’t stop!” he commanded.

It took them almost one hour to the return to their camp because of the heavy rain and the constant fear of being chased by the barbarians. They had been fighting in those fields for three days in a row and they needed to rest. Almost one hour later, they were settled in their camp, prepared for any attack but also ready to take a nap to gain strength.

“You fought well, my Lords”, BaekHyun said when he entered the bigger tent where some of his men were resting. “Sleep well, tomorrow will be another day”.

They wished him a good night as well, bowing before he left the carp. The alpha moved to his tent, raising his eyebrows when he saw the Lord Commander of his Army and one of the most important Generals in there. He was exhausted from the battle, covered in dirt, blood, and water, so a chat with those men didn’t seem appealing.

“Is there something wrong?” he asked while taking off his leather gloves.

Kim JongDae, the Lord Commander of his army, looked at him with hooded eyes before he sighed and handed him a letter. It had the stamp of his house: a wolf on top of a mountain with the sun rising behind the animal. A royal letter in the middle of a war was not something good and BaekHyun knew it in first hand.

“Is bad, isn’t it?” he said as he broke the stamp and unfolded the paper.

“I am afraid you will have to leave the battlefield, my Lord”, the General said.  
The Crown Prince frowned but didn’t say anything to those words. General Lee HyukJae was a wise man, and if he said he had to leave it was because there was no other option. But that didn’t mean he was okay with that after all those men were fighting for him and next to him. He decided to read the letter before saying anything.

_Crown Prince BaekHyun,_

_we, the Wise Men of Mirda, request your presence as soon as possible in the castle as your father health has deteriorated. _  
_Decisions must be made related to the crown and your presence here is an indispensable need. _  
_May the Gods smile you in the way home._

_-Lee UnSong, Representative of the Wise Men of Mirda._

BaekHyun folded back the letter and looked up to the men and after a few seconds of thinking, he spoke.

“We’re in the middle of fighting those wild men, do you think it will be good that I leave?” he asked. A Crown Prince leaving the battle after a fierce fight was not a good thing in a war.

JongDae was the one who replied. BaekHyun looked at the man, analyzing him. He was a young but wise man. With twenty-seven years, JongDae had been elected by the Wise Men and the King as the Lord Commander of Mirda’s army after he had shown his skills in and out of the battlefield. Black hair, brown eyes and thin lips that make him look even younger when he smiled.

“We’ll make sure to tell our men your reason to leave, my Lord. Or at least part of it”, HyukJae assured him.

BaekHyun sighed and valued his options. He knew he had to be next to his father in the last moments of life he had, but he had been fighting way too long against the barbarians to leave just like that. The idea of being in the palace once again as his army died in the battle was bad, very bad. But duty was duty, and he was a Crown Prince after all.

“When should I leave?” he finally said.

“The horse is ready, your Highness”, HyukJae stated. “Two of your men will be going with y…”

“No”, he replied. “I’ll be going alone. We need our men here, on the battlefield”.

“But your Highness…” JongDae started saying.

“I said what I said, Lord Commander”, the Crown Prince stated.

“As you wish”, the man accepted.

BaekHyun nodded and fixed his clothes before bowing slightly as a goodbye gesture. The other man did the same, watching him leaving the tent. The Alpha got on the horse one of the military had prepared and without a second look to the camp, he started his way home under the rain.

* * *

UnSong was the first person who greeted him when he arrived at the castle. The weather at Mirda was way better than in the place he had been battling, but not warmer. His clothes were wet from the cold rain and BaekHyun was shivering; some maids put blankets around him as they mumbled something about preparing a hot bath for him.

“I hope you had a good ride, my Lord”, the older man said. He looked up to his horse before returning his gaze to him. “I thought you were coming with some men”.

“We need all the warriors we can on the battlefield”.

“I understand, your Highness, but riding alone from the camp to the palace was dangerous”.

BaekHyun looked at UnSong and arched an eyebrow, that gesture being enough for the other man to leave the subject. They started walking through the halls of the palace until they reached their destination; the blankets were still around the Crown Prince’s body as he entered the King’s room. The man was lying in the bed, pale and with his eyes closed. The place smelled like medicine and alcohol, a smell strong enough to make the men wrinkled their noses in disgust.

“I’m home, _father_”, he announced as he reached the bed with slow steps.

The eyes of the man opened up, blinking slowly until his gaze fell on the Crown Prince, an unpleasant grin reaching his face at the moment. BaekHyun and his father, Byun BaekJoon, had never been in good terms, even less after BaekHyun’s mother passed away seven years ago. The man was selfish and arrogant, too obsessed with the Crown and his problems to attend the necessities of his kingdom.

“The Alpha Warrior came to see his father die?” he asked with a cold tone. “How fortunate I am to be in your presence, _son_”.

BaekHyun arched, once again, an eyebrow and smiled at his father with all the falsity he had in his body. The Crown Prince was tired and mad, so he didn’t care to keep his mask-of-loveable-son in presence of UnSong; both of them let go their pretending show of having the perfect father-son relationship.

“You’re right. I want to see you die, father”, he admitted with a malicious smirk. The word ‘father’ was full of irony. “Is the only way I would believe you are dead”.

“That’s so sweet of you”. The man choked, coughing badly and trying to not tear up in front of his son due to the pain in his chest. UnSong helped him as BaekHyun watched with a bored expression. “Maybe you’re the person behind my sudden sickness”, the man said when he calmed down.

The Crown Prince saw the disturbed look UnSong gave to his father. The old man and BaekHyun knew the real reason he was that sick and the heir was not afraid of saying it out loud.

“It would have been my pleasure to be your executioner, King”, he started saying. “But no, all of us know that if you’re dying is because you can keep your dick inside your pants and the Gods decided that your lust should be punished with some kind of illness”.

The man seated down on the bed after some failed intents. He seemed exhausted by the action, breathing heavily and with cold sweat dripping down his face. He seemed angered as well, taken aback by his son’s harsh words and the terrible accusations he had made.

“Watch out what you say, BaekHyun, I am still the King and…”

“And what?” he snapped, interrupting him. “Will you take the throne away from me? A bad thing that the ones who can do that are the Wise Men of Mirda and not you, father”.  
“The Gods will punish you, BaekHyun”.

BaekHyun grinned. “The Gods have blessed me, father. I and the kingdom have been saved of your tyranny and your pathetic government”.

The man coughed one more time as he sat a little bit more in the bed. His eyes were filled with rage and hate, but BaekHyun was already used to that look. He hated the man as much as the King hated him.

“One day you will be in my place, dying alone in a room with nothing but an empty room, a dusty crown and a kingdom that hates you”, he mumbled. Eyes fluttering shut for the exhaustion of moving that much.

“For that kind of end I should be like you, and believe me, father, I will not make the same mistakes you did”.

The old king grunted, displeased with the Prince’s words. Not even in the doors of death, he would let the man spoke to him like he was a servant. When he had gathered strength enough to replied, he saw that BaekHyun had already walked to the door, ready to leave the room with UnSong by his side looking at him with censure. He knew that his encounter with his father was not what the old man expected.

“The only mistake I had made was not killing you when your mother died”, the King said as his final sentence.

BaekHyun turned to his father and glanced at him with all the hate and disgust he felt, but he didn’t say anything; with one last look, the Crown Prince left the habitation.

* * *

The Crown Prince entered his room followed by UnSong. The heir was waiting for the older man to speak up; to start that talk about showing minimal respect to his father even though he knew how much he despised him.

“A king should not let his feelings control all his actions. Composure and manners, that’s all I’m asking for, my Prince”, he stated after a few minutes in complete silence.

BaekHyun looked at the man but didn’t reply. He had been riding all night under a cold and heavy rain, he had been in the battlefield for months and he had been carrying the kingdom’s problems since the day his father had demonstrated that he couldn’t do it rightly. He was tired and not in the mood for a reprimand.

“I am not a King”, BaekHyun finally said.

“Yet”, the man replied. “Just for once try to endure it, you know that he doesn’t have much time in this world”.

“Don’t worry, UnSong”, he stated. “I will behave…” He smirked before adding one more thing. “And I will pray for him to die tonight too, so you won’t suffer for our fights much longer”.

UnSong looked defeated, but didn’t say anything, he just shocked his head and after a little bow, he left the room. BaekHyun sighed and started taking off his clothes. He hissed when he took out his chest-plate; he had a big scar that started in his shoulder and ended in his elbow, after months it still hurt when he moved.

The warm water from the bath his servants had prepared was a satisfying contrast to his still cold skin. He had too many thoughts storming his brain as he relaxed against the porcelain of the tub. He just needed to forget about everything for a moment.

He just needed to breathe.

* * *

Two days after his arrival, BaekHyun was almost running through the hallways of the palace. His royal clothes moved with the wind as he stumbled into his father’s room. With wide eyes, the Alpha Prince looked at the inert figure his father was now. His chest was no longer raising up and down with his breath and his body was completely still against the silk sheets. BaekHyun couldn’t take away his eyes from him and how death had defeated him.

“He was sleeping, my Lord”, his Court Doctor said. “He didn’t suffer”.

“You said he was recovering”, BaekHyun stated, but there was no emotion in his voice.

“And he was, your Highness. But the fever raised last night and we couldn’t make anything to hold it down”, the doctor tried to explain.

BaekHyun glared at the man before he started walking out of the master room; when he was out of his gaze he smiled. Finally he could breathe a little more, finally, he could try to save his kingdom with all the power that the Crown had.

The Wise Man and he had been having meetings since his arrived. A few weeks after his departure to battle the barbarians, the people from the farms outside the city gates had fallen sick with Hikas disease and the kingdom had entered in a crisis. Their King was dying and their Crown Prince in the battlefield so panic had filled their hearts as they feared that disease will come to the city in a matter of time.

“He died alone”. The voice of UnSong startled BaekHyun.

“He chose to be alone the day that the Crown became more important than his own family”, he replied. “Is everything ready?”

“It is”, he answered. “But I am not here to talk about that”.

The Alpha turned around and looked curiously at the old man. “What is it?”

“The Lord Commander has returned from the battlefield. He didn’t bring good news”.

The Crown Prince nodded and started walking to the door. He couldn’t meet him until he had buried his father and both of them knew it.

“Tell him that I will meet him when all of this is over”, he said.

“Yes, my Lord”.

* * *

The burial lasted for three days. The coronation came two days after. He had stood in front of his kingdom as UnSong placed the crown on his head, making him the new King of Mirda officially. It was like a weight had lifted from his shoulders as other even heavier replaced it. He was a King now and he had to start to take care of the problems that his people had, and that’s why he was in the council room, waiting for JongDae to attend to their meeting.

“JongDae”, BaekHyun greeted when he saw the Lord Commander entering the room. “UnSong told me you have important news from the battlefield”.

“The southern resistance has fallen”, he said as he stood up in front of him. “The barbarians are being helped by the people from Antares”.

“Wu YiFan is helping them?” BaekHyun frowned.

“He wants ships and all of us know that the best ships are the ones that the barbarians have”, JongDae explained.

BaekHyun mumbled something under his breath and thought about how they were going to face that unexpected turn of events.

“Fucking traitor”, he said with a bitter tone.

JongDae nodded but didn’t say anything; BaekHyun knew there was something else that he wanted to say and from the way he moved it was not good. The Alpha sighed before looking at JongDae with tired eyes.

“What is it?” he asked. “More bad news?”

“Some people in the gates has started to show the first signs of the Hikas disease”, he said. “We need medicine and we need it now. We’ve already lost more than a hundred people from the farms and the fishing spots”.

“Shit”, BaekHyun murmured and remembered the amount of money the treasurer had told him they had. “We don’t have enough gold to pay for a large amount of medicine. We won’t be able to save them all”.

“Maybe you should go to see the Elders from the Council, they may have some ideas”.

The voice was strained and unsure. Like he knew that the Wise Men already had a plan that he will not like. BaekHyun frowned but nodded and after a few more words, he exited the room and started walking down the hallway. In a matter of minutes, he reached the stairs to the Council and he tried to ignore the bad feeling he got when he saw the elders whispering within them.

“Good afternoon, my Lords”, he greeted as he reached the top of the stairs. “JongDae told there’s something you want to tell me”.

UnSong made a gesture to the door, inviting him to enter. With a firm walk, he stepped into the room and waited for the others to do the same. All of them took a sit in the rounded table.

“I’m sure Lord Kim told you that Hikas has reached the city”, UnSong started saying.

“Yes”.

“Your father didn’t know how to face this situation. The Hikas disease had taken over our fish spots and most important farms”, he stated. “We have lost too many people in a short amount of time”.

BaekHyun took a deep breath, he knew that already. UnSong had told him everything he needed to know and this was just a reminder of the responsibilities he had as a King.

“I know”, he said. “And I also know that this disease had become a major issue for our kingdom and we need a solution”.

“And that’s why we are here now”, UnSong said. “We know that the kingdom’s finances are not too well, not after all the losses that had come with the fall of our farms, your father’s medicine and the resources for the army”.

“They will be more losses if we let the Hikas disease kill more people”, other man said with a raspy voice.

“We don’t have enough money to pay all the medicine”, he said. “But I'm sure you know that already as well”.

UnSong stood up and took a parchment from a shelf nearby, he then walked to where he was sitting and handed him the paper. BaekHyun frowned as he opened up the document and started reading what was writing inside.

“Is this real?” he said, surprised. “It can’t be…”

“It is real”, UnSong claimed. “And we all think is a very good deal”.

BaekHyun put down the paper and looked at the elder. Feniks Kingdom had sent them their regards after hearing the news about BaekHyun’s dad died and they had taken advantage of the situation to offered them an amazing deal in that time of need.

“They will send us all the medicine we need and will help us in the battlefield is we accept their only condition”, UnSong said out loud.

BaekHyun sighed. He knew that no one was willing to send so many medicines just because they felt generous. There was always one condition.

“And what is it?” he asked.

UnSong looked to the other members of the Council before looking at him. ‘Is a bad thing’, BaekHyun thought. It couldn’t be anything good if UnSong acted like that. BaekHyun played with the ring in his hand; a gold band with a ruby in the middle. It had been from his mother, and he had sent it to be fixed so he could use it after she died.

“The King has requested that you engage with their only child”, he announced. “An Omega that will be the heir for the Crown once the King dies”.

“Will I be a King for the two kingdoms?”

“Not exactly, I know is typical to have Alpha as the rulers of the kingdoms, but in Feniks is the firstborn who will get the crown, independently if they are omegas, betas or alphas”.

BaekHyun frowned but nodded. It was rare, that was true. He had never heard about an Omega as the ruler of a kingdom, but Feniks was a land from the south and southern people were known because of their unique way of thinking and behaving. He thought of the alternatives. BaekHyun didn’t want to get married to someone he didn’t even know, but the help that Feniks will give them would solve one of the biggest problems of his country.

“So this is the deal: marriage for medicine”, he said.

“Yes”, UnSong said.

“Send my answer to Feniks’ king. Tell him I would gladly engage with his Omega”.

“Are you sure of this?” One of the men asked. “You will not be able to marry freely. You will have to learn to love her. She will be your Omega forever”.

“It is my duty as a king to do all that I can to protect my people if that means I have to marry some unknown omega I will”.

The Wise Men looked up each other and nodded. The youngest of the Council scribbled down in a paper his affirmative answer and exited the room to send it right away. BaekHyun looked at the door as it closed and sighed heavily.

“What about the battle against the barbarians?”

“The Lord Commander will go to the North in search of help. There’s a kingdom called Mangsa with a big army that could help us, Lord JongDae will negotiate with them and tried to make them our allies”.

“When he will part?” BaekHyun asked.

“We are not sure yet, your Highness”.

BaekHyun nodded and sighed before facing the next issue they had to discuss.

* * *

JongDae parted from Mirda one week after the reunion took place. It was the same day that the Omega from Feniks will arrive only accompanied by his two loyal servants and a representative of the kingdom. The king couldn’t travel due to an injury but he had prayed every night for their engagement to the gods. BaekHyun stood stoic on the front gates of the palace. With the Omega will arrive the medicine and his servants were ready to take the remedies and distribute it around the city and send it to the farms.

“Your Grace, the carriage is almost here”, UnSong announced.

With a deep breath, the Alpha King waited patiently for the Omega to arrive. He felt a spark of curiosity born when he saw the front of the carriage starting to get closer until the chariot was a few meters away from him. He gave a quick look to UnSong before he walked closer to the vehicle, waiting patiently for the servants to open the door and help the omega out.

Unfortunately, the first person to get out of the carriage was an older man. His hair was long and light brown, he had a radiant smiled and was wearing a white hanbok decorated with a big brooch of a red and orange phoenix.

“King BaekHyun is a pleasure to meet you”, he said with a cordial voice. “My name is Lee DongHae and I am the representative of Feniks”, the man explained and then smiled. “And this, my Lords, is our cherished and kind Omega Prince, Park ChanYeol”.

BaekHyun went blank as he saw the male Omega getting out of the carriage.

_This could not be happening._


	2. The Wedding

The Prince of Feniks looked shy and scared. His brown light hair fell into his eyes as he watched carefully everything around him. The Omega looked at BaekHyun after a few seconds and gulped; the Alpha looked annoyed and disgusted.

"Welcome to Mirda, Prince ChanYeol", an old man said as he bowed. "My name is UnSong and I am the leader of the Wise Men of Mirda".

"Thank you," he said, still looking carefully to the place.

UnSong looked at BaekHyun and made a gesture so he would move closer. The Alpha did, but his face didn't change at all to a gentle one when he stood in front of the Omega, in fact, he let out an annoyed sigh when he realized that the Prince was taller than him.

"Welcome to Mirda, Prince ChanYeol," he greeted in a cold tone. "I wish your stay here will be pleasant. Now if you excuse me I have things to do."

ChanYeol blinked when he saw the Alpha turn and walk away. He sent a nervous look to DongHae but he seemed as surprised as him. UnSong saw the uncomfortable and out of place look the Omega had after that cold and unpleasant first meeting.

"Prince ChanYeol, let me guide to the room you will be using," he said with a gentle smile.

The Omega looked at him and nodded, giving a quick look to the representative of Feniks before starting to walk behind him. UnSong knew the Omega was being cautious and he was probably feeling out of place.

They walked through the palace halls until they reached one of the master bedrooms near BaekHyun's. The maids had made sure to clean the room and decorated the room with the colors of Feniks so ChanYeol would have something to remind him of home.

"I hope you can forgive my King's behavior earlier. He had been pretty busy and distressed after his father died so he is not in the best mood." UnSong tried

"I understand that he is in a delicate position," ChanYeol said, voice low and careful. The Omega couldn't even look him in the eye. "I was just taken aback."

"A warmer welcome would have been perfect," DongHae said. The representative had followed them, he wanted to know where his Prince was going to sleep. "I hope tonight's dinner won't be that bad."

UnSong tried to smile, nodding absently before leaving the room. He walked directly to the reunion room, frowning when he saw BaekHyun sitting in one of the chairs. The Alpha was looking at some papers while drinking some wine.

"I hope you understand how rude your behavior towards Feniks's Prince was."

BaekHyun looked at him with a boring expression before returning to his papers. He didn't feel guilty out all about his way of acting. UnSong knew why he was behaving like that, but he knew as well that that didn't make up his demeanor.

"A male omega," BaekHyun finally said. "I have to get married to a male omega if I want the medicines".

"It's your duty as a King to do everything in your hand to save your kingdom," UnSong replied. "I know that you don't want to get married to Prince ChanYeol, but you promised to do it. Mirda needs this marriage if you want to save your people".

"I know that already," BaekHyun grumbled. "But that doesn't mean that I like it. I have to chain my life to that… thing".

"Don't talk like that, BaekHyun", UnSong said with a harsh tone. "He is a Prince, and technically he is your fiancé as well. I know that if you could have the choice he would be returning tonight to his Kingdom but you don't, so accept it and act like a real King."

"They lied to us, his King lied to us."

"Actually we didn't."

UnSong's and BaekHyun's gaze fell in Lee DongHae. The representative of Feniks was at the door, looking at them with a raised eyebrow and a defiant look. He had followed UnSong the moment he walked out the door, knowing he would go to see the King.

"Lord Lee…" UnSong tried to say.

"In our letters, we always said that you will have to marry the Omega heir of the Kingdom. We choose to stay in a neutral space knowing what consequences his second gender could bring, but that doesn't mean we lied. We just hide some information."

"Isn't that like lying?" BaekHyun asked.

"Not for me, your Majesty." The man stepped forward. "He is a male omega, that's right, but that doesn't make him least. He is a smart and beautiful omega, capable of carrying a child like any other omega. He is not fragile, nor stupid."

"I am sure Prince ChanYeol is as perfect as you said, Lord Lee, but I hope you understand as well my surprised to discover my fiancé is a male," BaekHyun replied, getting up of his chair to approach the representative.

"You can take back your word if you want, my Lord. The engagement will break and we will return home," DongHae said before smiling falsely, "the medicine will return as well, of course. After all, it seems that your prejudice against male Omegas is bigger than your desire to save your Kingdom."

BaekHyun's lips turned into a thin line as he pressed then together, taken aback with those words. Lee DongHae knew how to play his cards, he knew how important the remedies were to his people and how much he needed them. If he rejected Prince ChanYeol, Feniks's kingdom would make sure everyone knew the reason why.

"I don't have any plans to cancel the wedding, Lord Lee," BaekHyun stated. "As I said, I was just shocked to find out my fiancé is a male Omega."

Lee DongHae smiled victoriously as UnSong stared at BaekHyun; the elder could tell how annoyed the King was. Male omegas were considered as God's punishment for those who had done bad things. They were considered as aberrations of nature that had to be exterminated. For most people, male omegas deserved to die. Mirda's citizens thought not different from the rest, and now their king was going to marry a male omega.

"It is good to know that the engagement will remain untouched". DongHae smile grew wider. "Now, if you excuse me, I will return with my Prince".

The man bowed before walking out of the room. BaekHyun looked to UnSong as he let out an annoyed sigh. He didn't want to marry the Prince, he didn't want to chain his life to a person he won't be able to love even less has a kid with.

"When will the wedding take place?" he asked.

"Before winter, in November probably."

"That's two weeks from here".

"We need Feniks' armies as well," UnSong reminded him.

BaekHyun sighed again before seating, he still had a long day to go through.

* * *

"The wedding has not been canceled". DongHae said as he entered the room.

ChanYeol looked at him and gulped. He was not happy to hear that, he wanted to return to his home where no one would look at him like he was a freak. Even Mirda's guards outside his room had stared at him with a disgusted look when he walked out to let some maids enter. He didn't want to live in a place where everyone hated him.

"He hates me," the Omega said. "Everyone here does."

DongHae sighed, approaching the bed were ChanYeol rested while reading some book. He sat at the end of the bed. He knew that the melancholic tone in his Prince's voice was not because he was being hated, but because he had been sold to some alpha that despised him.

"They don't hate you, ChanYeol", the representative said with a warm tone. DongHae was like an older brother for him. "They are just idiots surprised because of an omega male."

ChanYeol blinked before shaking his head. "They hate me. And I understand why, after all, no one wants their King marrying a male omega."

"Don't say that," DongHae replied with a sad smile. "You are perfect, ChanYeol. Marrying you is a blessing. That stupid King is just too blind to see it".

"He doesn't know me and he won't try to do it either. I know that in Feniks people get used to the idea of having an Omega Prince, but this is not Feniks." ChanYeol sighed. "I know how male omegas are seen outside our kingdom, DongHae, I know what kind of things they said about my gender."

DongHae looked down, making invisible figures in the sheets. He felt bad because he couldn't deny it. He wanted to protect his prince, but he knew that after the marriage he would have to travel to his kingdom and stayed there, leaving the omega alone in that place.

"He will still marry you," he said.

"For the medicine and the armies," ChanYeol replied. "I don't expect to be loved or to have a child, DongHae. I have never dreamed of those kinds of things because I knew they were impossible".

"They are not. You deserve to be loved and maybe this King is not the right person, but with time someone will come and love you as you deserve", DongHae reassured him. "Our Gods' laws will free you of this marriage in two years if you and BaekHyun don't consummate it."

"I know." His gaze fell to the floor. A frown present in his face. "And in two years I will return to Feniks as a marked omega who couldn't satisfy an Alpha King. If people hate me already that will just make it worse."

"ChanYeol…"

"DongHae, don't worry. I have been prepared for this all my life." The omega tried to smile. "I always knew my father would find alpha for me. I will do my best to be a good omega for BaekHyun even if he doesn't want me to. And if the Gods are good with me, in two years I will return home."

"You know what I think about your father's decision." The representative complained.

"And you know that there is nothing we can change about it".

Weeks ago, when the first letter from Mirda's kingdom asking for help the King was not going to accept their request, but after hearing about the old king died, he decided that they could make a deal. DongHae had felt a wave of rage coursed through his body when ChanYeol's father decided to trade his son like he was some kind of commodity, as he was part of barter with Mirda's King. DongHae felt his eyes fill with water. It was heartbreaking to think about everything that ChanYeol will have to go through just because his father decided to sell him as the condition for a good trade.

"You don't deserve this."

ChanYeol chose not to reply.

* * *

The first days in Mirda were full of trips to know the Capital and the little villages near the city (and that weren't infected yet). DongHae had had to stay on the castle, meeting with the King and the Wise Men of Mirda to close all their deals and decide how much medicine they still needed and when would Feniks's army leave to the battlefield.

ChanYeol had enjoyed that visits to the different villages of Mirda and to get to know the people there. But after a week everything went downhill. DongHae had to go, returning to his homeland to start the preparations of the next carriages of medicine, and to settle somethings about the wedding that would take place in a week. ChanYeol hadn't see BaekHyun since the first day, and the only company he had after the representative of his kingdom parted was UnSong and it wasn't the best of the companies.

"Do you feel lonely, prince ChanYeol?" UnSong asked that day as they walked through the gardens inside the palace.

"A little," he replied. His face and tone were completely blank. "But don't worry, I am just a bit homesick."

UnSong kept silence for a bit. ChanYeol didn't even look at him, his eyes dancing through the colorful flowers that had bloomed even though it was late autumn. He didn't want to think about the wedding or the consequences that the ceremony would have in his life. But his wishes had never been granted and UnSong had to talk again.

"The wedding will take place next Saturday."

"I know, one of the maids told me."

"Lord Lee will come back the day before to help you with everything," he announced.

"And my father?" he asked.

UnSong shifted for one foot to another, looking a little uncomfortable. ChanYeol already knew the answer to that question, after all his own father had told him that he didn't want to be in his wedding. Even though everyone in Feniks had love ChanYeol independently if he had born as an omega, his father was another story, and after the Queen's death, he had shown nothing but disappointment towards him. 'My only child and it had to be an omega' he had said once.

A disgrace for the King and for the kingdom.

"Lord Lee said that his health is still fragile so he won't be able to come," UnSong replied. "But he sent his best wishes for your wedding."

It was ChanYeol who remained silent this time. "I will pray for his condition to get better, then."

They kept walking for about ten minutes, and when they reached the palace UnSong asked ChanYeol if he wanted to go to the lookout situated in the East Tower. The Omega hesitated for a moment but ended nodding and they started their way to the tower. When they reached the place, ChanYeol held his breath as he watched the incredible landscape.

"The royal tailor would come these next days to take your measures and start preparing your wedding clothes. We thought that mixing the colors of your homeland with the colors of Mirda would be perfect." UnSong looked at the Prince, trying to know what he was thinking.

ChanYeol stayed calm, humming softly to let him know that he had no problems with the idea. His gaze was still fixed on the amazing scenery that could be watched from where he stood: Mirda's mountains covered by snow and surrounded by grey clouds, the sun was hiding slowly between the highland, and the river that crossed the city and the valley disappeared in the forest.

The cloudy sky and the damp smell in the air were a prelude of the storm that was going to reach Mirda sooner or later.

"I know this must be difficult for you, Prince ChanYeol," UnSong murmured. "So many changes in a little time, but I know that soon you will feel like home. Mirda is a great place to live in."

ChanYeol turned around, starting to walk to the stairs so he could get out of that tower. He had gone to the garden an hour ago to run from the miserable days he had been having, but UnSong's presence had turned his moment of peace to a vision of the future that made him run out of breath. And not in a good way.

"Is not the place what scares me, Lord Lee," ChanYeol said with a quiet voice and then he started descending the stairs.

UnSong gulped and turn his eyes to the landscape the Prince had been watching. He had the feeling that ChanYeol had been watching exactly what he was seeing at that moment: the calm before the storm.

* * *

The days left for the wedding passed in a blink of an eye. ChanYeol was in his room, looking at himself in the mirror with a bitter smile. He was wearing white and red clothes for the wedding, the golden and silver embroidery was as beautiful as the jewels that DongHae had chosen for him. The most important one: the silver necklace with the shape of a Phoenix, the symbol of his homeland.

"Are you nervous?" DongHae asked with a big smile when he entered the room. "Everything is already prepared."

"Nervous?" ChanYeol questioned. "Should I be nervous?"

"It's your wedding day!" the older man celebrated with a fake smile. ChanYeol wanted to laugh. Or run away, the two options were as captivating for him at the time.

"DongHae…"

"I am just trying to light up the mood," DongHae said and looked at ChanYeol with sad eyes. "And failing miserably, apparently."

ChanYeol shook his head and sighed, he saw his reflection once again. After taking a deep breath, ChanYeol took a step back and started walking behind DongHae, trying to prepare himself mentally for the ceremony that was going to happen in a few minutes. The halls were beautifully decorated, with golden and silver ornaments around the walls, the colorful flowers he had been admiring days ago and candles that emitted a soft yellow light.

"We are ready," DongHae said to one of the Wise Men.

The elder disappeared for a few minutes before returning with UnSong and a man that ChanYeol didn't know. The Omega Prince's eyes were fixed in the windows, watching the water fell down the glass because of the heavy rain that was pouring outside. The storm had begun the night before, shaking the windows and making ChanYeol laid awake in his bed hearing the thunders. The calm had broken.

"The ceremony will start in a matter of minutes," UnSong said. "Lord Lee, this is Lee HyukJae, one of the most important General of Mirda's army. He will escort you to the place designated for you."

"Wait. What?" ChanYeol and DongHae said at the same time, but the older man was the one who continued. "I thought that I was going to be the one to escort Prince ChanYeol the whole ceremony. I am the representative of Feniks, I should be the one who stands next to our Prince".

"And you will be part of the ceremony, but following the tradition of Mirda, Prince ChanYeol has to walk alone to the altar".

DongHae looked at ChanYeol with a worried expression. The Prince gulped and felt the sweat running down his face, he didn't want to walk alone. He already felt like fainting just with the thought of marrying a man he had seen just one time even though they were in the same place. What would stop him from running away if DongHae wasn't going to be by his side?

"Don't worry, my Lord," ChanYeol said with a low tone, head hanging low. "I can do that, is not my wish to disrespect Mirda's traditions."

UnSong smiled at ChanYeol, satisfied with his answer. DongHae was still hesitant, eyes fixed on his Prince before looking at the general. The representative felt a little blush appear on his cheeks when his eyes met HyukJae's ones; after a few minutes and one last look to the Omega, he decided to follow the general.

"When the music will start playing some maids will open the doors for you," UnSong explained. "Then you will walk through the Grand Hall until the altar, where King BaekHyun will be waiting for you."

ChanYeol nodded, breathing slowly in a poor attempt to make his heart calm down. He was nervous, and panic was rushing through his body. Even though what he said to DongHae weeks ago about being prepared for that moment since he was fourteen, now, he felt like he was going to puke.

He didn't want to get married to someone that seemed to despise him. He didn't want to chain his life to someone who probably hated him. He didn't want to be away from his home, in a city where he knew no one and living his life feeling miserable until the day that the Gods' laws would make him free.

The music resonating in the other room and the sound of the wood doors opening made him look up. He took a deep breath, looking at the hall in front of him and hearing the loud cheers of the people invited to the wedding. Hesitantly, he made the first step, and after another deep breath, he started walking. Head raised with a faked proud and eyes fixed on the front.

If the halls looked stunning the Grand Hall was on another level. The columns that raised to the large ceiling were decorated with leaves painted in gold, and there were also some red fabrics circling the columns that contrasted prettily with the white marble. The chandelier was gold as well, but from its tubes fell orange strips in honor of Feniks. People were seated in high wooden bleachers, dressed in their best clothes and with judging looks that made ChanYeol's stomach twirl in uncomfortable knots.

The music sounded even louder when he was mid-way to the altar. ChanYeol's eyes fell on his fiancé and the blank expression he had. BaekHyun stood in the last step of the stairs, eyes devoid of any emotion as he offered one of his hands to ChanYeol the moment he reached the stairs. With a shaky breath leaving through his lips, the Omega Prince lifted his hand and put it on top of BaekHyun's hand.

"May the ceremony start." The Priest said when both ChanYeol and BaekHyun were standing in front of him, on the highest part of the altar.

The Wedding Rite in Mirda was long: first, the Priest read some passages from the Book of the Love and Family Gods, praising the value of a marriage filled with love and trust. Then, the Wise Men of Mirda gave one by one their blessings to the couple, admiring the step they were taking and, once again, praising the value that had a relationship built on love and trust.

DongHae was the one to speak next, as the Representative of Feniks and their King. He sent his blessing as well, looking at ChanYeol as he stated how proud his kingdom felt of their Prince and how happy he was about the promising future he would have.

Then it came the most important part: the vows. ChanYeol and BaekHyun moved to face each other, holding hands as they stared into the eyes of the other. BaekHyun was first, his expression still completely emotionless. UnSong had got closer to them with the rings on top of a red velvet pillow.

"I, Byun BaekHyun, King of Mirda, stand here to make you, Park ChanYeol, my husband," he started saying. Both of them could hear the crying of some guests. "The Gods has blessed me making me be able to hold you in my arms, through fire and ashes, through ice and cold. I, in front of the eyes of our people and our Gods, and with my heart open for you, promise you love until the day I die. My last beat will forever be yours, my loved mate."

BaekHyun took one of the rings and slid it in ChanYeol's ring finger.

"I, Park ChanYeol, heir of Feniks, stand here to accept you, Byun BaekHyun, like my husband," the man said. He felt a strange pressure in his chest. "The Gods has blessed me putting you in my way to be together, through fire and ashes, through ice and cold. I, in front of the eyes of our people and our Gods, and with my heart open for you, promise you love until the day I die. My last beat will forever be yours, my loved mate."

The Omega Prince slid the other golden ring into BaekHyun's finger. Then he closed his eyes and tilted his neck, he felt BaekHyun moving and how the people held their breaths. Fingers brushed against the skin, pushing away the necklace and exposing the place where the bite was going to be.

The younger man held his breath when he felt BaekHyun leaning over him. After a few seconds, the teeth sank into his skin and pain ran through his body, making him shiver; the omega opened his eyes and tried not to scream. He felt BaekHyun's hands grabbing him so he won't move. The first tears ran down his cheeks when the teeth left his skin and the music started sounding again and the people started applauding.

The ceremony was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the kudos and comments! I am really happy to see that you liked the first chapter, I hope you have liked this one as well.
> 
> Lots of love, Ali.


	3. Words

While the people moved to the place where the banquet was going to be held, ChanYeol let DongHae circled his waist with his arms and walked him to one of the bathrooms near the principal hall. Two maids followed them, some clothes in the arms of one of them and medical supplies on the hands of the other.

DongHae helped ChanYeol sat down on a little wood stool, lifting his face and wiping his tears with his thumbs. The Omega looked disturbed, eyes unfocused and hands trembling. DongHae felt a pang on his chest because, even though the Omega King was with someone he trusted and loved, he was still tense and his hands had turned into fists.

“My Prince,” the Beta said. “Are you okay? Please, talk to me.”

ChanYeol’s eyes were still unfocused. The blood trailed down from the bite to his white clothes, turning them into a deep red that made DongHae held his breath. The maids helped him undressed ChanYeol to change him to the new clothes.

The Omega was still silent, completely blank and yet concerned about everything he had been through minutes ago. He was marked now, mated to an Alpha that hated him and chained to a marriage that none of them wanted. Two years seemed like an eternity.

“I am okay,” the younger man said. “I’m just tired.”

DongHae exchanged a look with the maids and nodded. He didn’t believe the Omega, but he didn’t want to disturb him even more. They cleaned and banded the bite before pulling the last clothes up, bottomed them and brushing his hair into a formal look. The Omega blinked as he watched himself in the mirror.

The new clothes were blue and silver, the official colors of his house. In the front part of the hanbok was drew a white phoenix with his wings opened. ChanYeol wanted to laugh as he caressed the bird with his fingers. His mother used to say he was like a big joyful phoenix, but now he felt more like a bird without wings looked on a cage. A golden one, but still a cell.

“Everyone is in the dining hall already,” a maid announced. “We should go now, my King.”

ChanYeol nodded and started walking, his arm was soon held by DongHae who smiled at him. When they entered the hall everyone went quiet, eyes falling on him and analyzing him as he was some kind of attraction. ChanYeol gulped and started walking to the table located in the center.

BaekHyun was standing there, looking at him with a fake smile he had mastered and reached to him with a hand, holding him and intertwining their fingers before sitting down. Then everyone in the room did the same, taking their seats and starting to eat when ChanYeol and BaekHyun took the first bite of the already served food.

“You look gorgeous, my King,” UnSong said with a warm smile. “The colors of your house are outstanding.”

“Thank you.” He pulled out his best smile. Fake, but polite.

“My King, you sure have great taste, this Omega is beautiful,” the King IlHoon from a nearby kingdom said. “It is such a waste that he is a man.”

DongHae’s face turned ice-cold and he sent a nasty look to the man that dares to talk badly of his Prince. ChanYeol just looked at the King, unimpressed and with a blank expression that made everyone a little uncomfortable. Any other omega they knew would already be crying.

“King IlHoon, do you know what is famous in Feniks beside our medicine?” DongHae asked, attracting everyone’s attention with his rare topic. The other King shook his head. “Our daggers are made from the sharpest metal in the world called _hyndar_. Often used to cut the tongues of people who dared to insult our Prince.” The Beta put his dagger on the table, making some people gasped and HyukJae chuckled. “Do you want to try it sharpens file or would you drink some wine and shut up?”

King IlHoon looked shocked, gulping as he stared at the dagger. The Beta didn’t seem to be joking, and the King was smart enough to know that he had received a death threat. Under the eyes of everyone seating in that table, IlHoon looked at DongHae and then at ChanYeol before taking his cup and drank some wine.

“Bless be the Omega King,” he stated when he finished drinking.

“Bless he’ll be.” The others repeated.

DongHae smiled and retired the dagger from the table, looking at ChanYeol with a warm smile before starting to eat again. The Omega stared at the food that was left on his plate and tried to take another bite, but his stomach was closed after the disrespectful comment he had to endure and the lack of response of his Alpha. _‘Would it always be like that?’_ he thought.

“King ChanYeol…” A woman for another kingdom called him, she was the Queen from the Icceld kingdom. “Have you think about a child already? I have heard that you are twenty years old,” she commented. “All the Omegas in my kingdom were already parents at your age.”

“I just got married, my Lady,” he replied politely. “Do you think I have had time to think about having children these past days?” He smiled at her. “Maybe in your kingdom, they like to be parents at such a young age, but I am not from your kingdom and I would not rush myself into such a big commitment just to please you.”

His response left all of the guest seating with them speechless; they looked at him like he was some kind of freak that had dared to talk disrespectfully to a Queen. BaekHyun gazed him too, his face blank as he watched him closely without uttering a word. If ChanYeol had felt uncomfortable before know he had reached his breaking point.

“We are thinking of the honeymoon first, my Lady,” BaekHyun said, taking everyone by surprise. “And then we want to spend some time together before thinking about having children. We have our whole lives in front of us to make a family.” All eyes were on him. “We will have children when both of us are prepared, especially my husband.”

“Not to be rude, King BaekHyun.” Shin ShingHee, the Elder of the Icceld kingdom said. “But you are five years older than the Omega, the perfect age to settle down and have a family. Are you willing to wait for an Omega to tell you when to have your kids? That’s absurd.”

“He is the one that would be carrying my children, Lord Shin,” he replied, with a sharp tone. “I won’t force him to be pregnant at such a young age just because I feel like it. He’ll be the one carrying, so he’s the one deciding when that would happen.”

Everyone went silent, uncomfortable after being shot down by the King. They didn’t quite understand why would King BaekHyun leave such an important decision up to a male omega, but they wouldn’t touch the topic after the way he had reacted.

“We are sorry, your Grace,” the man said. “We didn’t want to upset you.”

“Then watch out your words.” He said with an ending tone.

Once again everyone kept silence, avoiding the cold eyes of the King and trying to digest the food that had been served. ChanYeol lost his appetite as well, looking at DongHae with hooded eyes before staring at BaekHyun. The Alpha didn’t bother to look at him, eating some fruits and talking absently with General HyukJae.

“How long will this last?” the Omega asked quietly.

“There are still a few hours left, you must dance with the Prince and then…” DongHae said but cut himself off.

“And then…?” ChanYeol questioned.

“And then tomorrow you will have to make your official presentation to the people of Mirda.” ChanYeol frowned.

“And what’s the problem?”

DongHae moved uncomfortably in his seat before pulling a forced smile. ChanYeol knew he was going to heard something he didn’t like.

“The way to seal your marriage with the King is following Mirda’s traditions, so you will have to kiss in front of everyone and, well, be marked,” he explained. “I know is awkward and uncomfortable, and even painful for you but…”

“Is okay,” he interrupted. “I can take this, I will be fine.”

The Beta sighed and squeezed ChanYeol’s hand trying to give him some kind of comfort. The Omega just smiled at him before trying to taste the carrot cake that one of the maids served him. When he was about to give the first bite to the desert, General Lee got up and got everyone’s attention with a few hits with a spoon to his silver cup.

“Before the dance takes place, I would like to share my wishes for my Kings,” he said. “Mirda and Feniks have taken the first step today into a union that I hope would last for years. Today we congratulate a couple that has taken over prejudices, a couple that I know that would rule the kingdom in the best way possible. I know my King, the most fierce and smart man I know, has found the perfect person to spend his life with and I will pray every night for their marriage to last from now until forever.” He raised his glass to them. “May the Gods bless your love with eternity and happiness.”

Every person in the room repeated the same phrase, clacking their cups before drinking them. ChanYeol lifted his glass when BaekHyun did, toasting with his husband and the swallowing the fruit juice that a maid had served him minutes ago. The music started playing when he pulled down the cup. BaekHyun stood up and offered his hand, waiting patiently for ChanYeol to hold it so they could go to the center.

The Omega did what he had to do, walking with BaekHyun to the designated place and waiting for the Alpha to guide him on the dance. They were supposed to practice the steps days before, but the King didn’t show up to any of the dance meetings leaving ChanYeol to try to learn a dance with a Beta that hated him and without a proper couple.

The first steps were a mess of out of sync movements, ChanYeol almost tripping with his clothes as they dance around the hall. People were quiet, watching as the Kings of Mirda danced until the music stopped and they was no space between them.

ChanYeol looked down at BaekHyun, waiting for his next move. The Alpha did the same, his face was blank like always as he pulled away from him and bowed. ChanYeol repeated the gesture, making his way to the principal table when people started to flood the dance hall as the musicians got ready for another song. He sat down next to DongHae, giving him an exhausted look before taking the fork and try to take a piece of his cake.

“An awful representation of our most important dance,” one of the Elders of Mirda said. ChanYeol looked at him, getting goosebumps when the blue eyes fell on him. “Is such a shame that an Omega so dispensable like you can’t even learn to dance properly. If you are gonna disrespect our traditions don’t even try to do them.”

The Omega felt a rush of anger wash through him. He knew the dance was not perfect, but if they were going to blame someone he was not the one. But ChanYeol knew they would not blame their own King, not when they could put all the blame into the male Omega that had been forced to get married to their King.

“Aren’t you going to say anything, Omega?” other old man asked. His tone was as sharp as the other’s man. “Or you don’t have an excuse to explain why you make fun of our traditional dance?”

ChanYeol remained silence, taking a big bite of the carrot cake as he looked sideways at DongHae, the man seemed as furious as him. The Elders, raged by his cold-shoulder, started insulting him, except for UnSong who tried to shut them a few times before giving up.

“My Lords,” the Omega finally said. BaekHyun looked at him. “If you want to blame someone, then you are looking at the wrong King.”

UnSong and HyukJae gasped, the Elders grunted and BaekHyun raised an eyebrow. The Omega got up, DongHae doing the same, both of them bowing to the man sitting in the table.

“Now, if you excuse me, I would like to retire to my bedroom. I am extremely tired after the _horrible_ dance.” ChanYeol smiled making the Elders frown. “Enjoy the party, my Lords.” He looked at BaekHyun. “Alpha.”

ChanYeol turned around, walking away followed by two maids from before and DongHae. The Alpha King looked at him as he crossed the door that would lead him to his room. The General was the one to take his attention out of the Omega, staring at BaekHyun and the bitter grin he had on his face.

“What a disrespectful omega,” one of the Elders said. “He must be educated. Maybe some days in a cell would make him understand…”

“If you are suggesting to lock up my husband in the dungeons you can shut your tongue, Lord Kwon,” BaekHyun replied. “Maybe he is not as you expect him to be, but he is still your King. He is my Omega, and I will not tolerate any bad comments against him.”

UnSong smiled, proud of the way BaekHyun was acting despite the fact the Omega and the Alpha didn’t have a good relationship. HyukJae raised an eyebrow, impressed as well.

“I am so sorry, my King,” the man apologized. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“And yet you did. Watch your words next time or it would be the last time you speak.”

The Elders lowered their heads and murmured some fake apologies. The dinner was quiet and trivial after that, none of the presents wanted to angry the King further. The Omega seemed untouchable, and they will respect it.

* * *

DongHae reached for ChanYeol’s arm when they passed in front of the master bedroom, stopping him from walking away. The Omega turned, a frown forming on his face as he questioned the Beta’s action.

“My Prince, this is your room now, remember?” he said. The maids were looking at him with judging eyes.

ChanYeol gulped and tried to smile, nodding before stepping back and entering the room. BaekHyun’s room was bigger than his, prettier too. They were candles everywhere, lighting the place and reaching every corner with the beautiful yellow light that the fire produced. The maids left the room and entered the bathroom to prepare the tub when ChanYeol asked them to, leaving him alone with DongHae.

“Take this off me, please,” he said. “I can’t breathe.”

DongHae’s hands were fast to unbutton all the clothes and help him out of them. The Omega shivered when a cold wind entered through the windows, but he didn’t care. He needed to take off the clothes and start gasping for air again, especially when the oxygen seemed inexistent minutes ago when the elders had attacked him with their words. The tension that had been building up on him since the ceremony started finally broke him down.

“I didn’t expect any of that to happen, my Prince,” DongHae said with a sad voice. “I am so sorry, they were so rude to you…”

“Don’t apologize, both of us knew that this would happen sooner or later.” ChanYeol gasped when the last piece of cloth fell to the floor and he stood only on his underwear. “I just didn’t expect their words to be so harsh and…” he stopped himself and closed his eyes. 

ChanYeol took a deep breath, trying to relax and take his mind away from the words that the man had uttered against him. The words said by the Elders didn't hurt him, but they did make him remember cruel things he had heard on the past in the mouth of people he had loved once. The Omega had learned since he was a child that words could hurt more than any weapon, but it’d been years since someone was so fast forward and cruel to him. One of the maids returned with a bathrobe in her arms, announcing the tub was ready. DongHae took the bathrobe and asked the maids to leave the room, smiling at them when they did.

He guided ChanYeol to the bathroom, looking away when the Omega took his underwear and entered the tub. The foam covered all his body as ChanYeol immersed in, letting the hot water relax his body. He closed his eyes when DongHae started caressing his hair, combing his fingers between his brown locks.

“Everything will be right,” he said. “You have a voice, and I know you will use it to remember every single person here that you are now their King. You are one of the strongest persons I know.”

The Omega sighed. “I don’t want them to respect me just because of my new title. I want them to respect me for who I am, DongHae,” he replied. “It looks like it would be a difficult task and I am already tired of fighting against their hate and rejection.”

DongHae stopped caressing the Prince’s hair and reached for a towel to dry his hands. ChanYeol didn’t open his eyes, getting himself to relax minute after minute inside the tub. He had needed that, a moment of peace after all that had happened. The bite still hurt and the bandage had turned red with the blood that emerged because of all the movements. DongHae was quick to change his bandaging, cleaning it with water and some medicinal.

“And they will, they just have to accept the fact that you are an omega," he said as he passed a cloth to clean the last trails of blood that covered his shoulder. "Don't touch the mark and don't use another bandage." 

“I’m not that optimistic,” the Omega replied. "And thank you."

DongHae didn’t say anything he just combed the Prince’s hair one more time before uttering a soft ‘Goodbye’ that didn’t get an answer. When DongHae left the bathroom, ChanYeol took a deep breath to try to stop the urge to cry he had been feeling since the gold ring was placed on his finger.

He immersed in the tub until he was under the water, laying there until the need for air was unbearable. The Omega raised his hand and looked at the ring with hooded eyes before closing his eyes one more time. He knew that when DongHae left Mirda he was going to be utterly alone, trying to fit in a place that had no space left for him.

* * *

The ceremony continued until midnight. People slowly went to their houses and the nobles of the other kingdoms took their carriages to return to their towns. All the gifts were placed in one of the rooms, ready to be opened by the Omega the day after his official presentation to Mirda. Everything was quiet as BaekHyun, who was the last one to leave the dance room, walked through the hallways directly to his room.

When he entered the room everything was dark. Most of the candles were out, just three of them giving a faint light to the room. The doors of the balcony were shut and the curtains completely closed. He stepped inside and closed the doors behind him, his eyes danced through all the room before he walked to the bathroom, knowing ChanYeol was there.

The Omega was in front of the big mirror that was placed on one of the walls, a bathrobe over the silk pajamas that the maids had chosen for him. The Omega’s eyes were fixed on the claiming mark on his shoulder, still red and swollen.

BaekHyun took a step forward in the bathroom, drawing the Omega’s attention to him and looking at each other’s eyes through the mirror. The Omega lifted his bathrobe, covering the biting mark and lowering his head to the floor.

“Do you feel better?” the Alpha asked, entering further into the room and starting to undo the belts and buttons of his clothes.

“I do,” ChanYeol replied, lifting his head and staring at him a few seconds before looking away. “Did the ceremony ended already?”

It was the first words they shared after the day of his arrival. It was their first time alone as well, and ChanYeol was extremely uncomfortable. He didn’t know how he was supposed to act around the King.

“Yes.” The King took off his shirt and pants, looking at the Omega who moved around without looking at him. “Did the maids prepare the tub for me or this is the one you used?” he asked.

“The maids came earlier and change the water,” he replied quietly. “But maybe it is already cold, I can call the servants if you want.” ChanYeol moved, without sparing a glance to the Alpha, but he was fast to reply.

“I won’t be necessary. The temperature is perfect,” he assured him after pulling his hand on the water.

“Oh,” it was the only thing ChanYeol could say. His eyes still avoiding his husband’s.

“I apologized for the Elders’ behavior,” he said. “They won’t do it again.”

“They should be the ones apologizing, not their King.”

BaekHyun looked at him again, his pants and underwear the only clothes left on him. ChanYeol saw the few scars that were shattered through his chest and arms.

“I know, but part of this is my fault,” he admitted. “Didn’t expect them to be so hard with their words.”

“I’ve been hearing hard words all my life, Alpha,” he replied with a cold tone. His eyes meet with BaekHyun’s ones. “Words don’t hurt when they are said by people you expect to pronounce them. At least that kind of words can’t hurt me anymore. I’ve grown used to them.”

“ChanYeol…” The Omega averted his eyes again at the sound of his name said by those lips. “Do I make you uncomfortable?” BaekHyun questioned, even if he already knew the answer.

Surprisingly, ChanYeol looked at him with a frown for a moment before he walked to the door, passing by the Alpha and paying no attention to the inquiring look the man send him. The Omega stood in front of the door, his hand already in the handle before he turned and looked at the Alpha.

“Do _I make_ you uncomfortable?” ChanYeol retorted in a low tone.

This time BaekHyun was taken aback, looking at ChanYeol with a frown and trying to think in a good answer for that. However, he didn’t get to reply because the Omega left the bathroom in a blink of an eye. The Alpha sighed before finish undressing, entering the water and resting against the porcelain of the tub.

When he walked out of the bathroom ChanYeol was not there anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been editing this chapter for ages and I'm still not sure it turned good, but I needed to update it now or I would never do it. Anyway, I hope you like it, thanks for the support and I'd be replying to your lovely comments in a few minutes <3
> 
> Lost of love, Ali.


	4. Alone

ChanYeol woke up with DongHae combing his hair, smiling at him as the Prince blinked slowly. The Omega sat down on the mattress looking at the Beta with tired eyes and then his eyes moved to the maids that were preparing some clothes near the bed.

“What time is it?” he asked. “The sun raised not long ago, you will be making the official presentation when the bells in the city ring.” DongHae smiled and helped him to get out of the bed. “Lord UnSong sent some clothes for you earlier, I hope that they fit you.”

“Sounds like I have a lovely morning ahead,” ChanYeol replied.

DongHae just laughed, guiding him to the bathroom and entering with the Omega so they could have a private talk. ChanYeol already knew what the Beta needed to tell him, but he just waited patiently for the man to speak up.

“What are you doing here?” the representative asked a frown on his forehead. “Do you know how shocked I was when I knocked in the master bedroom and the King told me you didn’t sleep there?”

ChanYeol raised an eyebrow and walked to the sink, using the water prepare for him to refresh himself a little bit and ignoring the protests that DongHae had started to rumble about. He was not in the mood to fight, not after being awake most of the night thinking about his short chat with BaekHyun before running away from their supposedly shared room.

“And what did you expect me to do? Lay with a man that can’t even stand me?” he questioned. “Share a bed with him just because he is my husband?”

“ChanYeol…”

“Did the King sound angry because I slept in another room?”

“Well, no, but…”

“Then where is the problem?” he retorted.

“General Lee told me he defended you yesterday of the bad comments those old men did,” he announced. “Maybe he is not that bad…” Those words sounded forced even for someone as kind and joyful as the Beta.

“Don’t try to see the bright side on this, DongHae,” he said. “One good action after weeks ignoring me won’t make me think better of him. At this moment I despise him as much as he despises me.”

The Beta sighed, but he didn’t say anything more and left the bathroom. ChanYeol washed his face one more time before he took a deep breath and stepped out of the room. He walked to the maids, facing the mirror placed in one of the corners as the women undressed him and changed his clothes to the ones UnSong had sent. DongHae was nowhere to be seen.

“Breakfast is ready, my King,” one of the maids announced.

The Omega King nodded and walked out of the room followed by the maids, he made his way to the dining room, thanking internally that the maids guided him to the place. He had been in the palace for a few weeks now, but he hadn’t felt comfortable enough to walk around the palace and discover where every place was. He already felt like an intruder every time he walked through the principal hallways of the castle.

“Good morning, King ChanYeol,” UnSong greeted him when he entered the dining room. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, my Lord,” he said, forcing a smile to come out. It was difficult to make those gestures with every passing day. “And you?”

“As peaceful as always, your Grace, thank you for asking.” ChanYeol took a seat next to BaekHyun sharing one look before both of them avoided each other’s eyes. DongHae was sitting next to General Lee, chatting joyfully as the maids served them the last side dishes for the breakfast.

“The bells will ring in a short time, so the breakfast would have to be fast,” BaekHyun announced. He didn’t look at ChanYeol but the Omega knew the words were directed to him.

“How long does the presentation last?” DongHae asked after a few minutes. “My carriage is planned to part in the evening, should I delay it?”

ChanYeol was breaking one boiled egg when the Beta said that, taking him by surprise and forcing him to look up. DongHae hadn’t said anything to him about returning to Feniks so soon. He felt a pang on his chest but didn’t speak up, not even when the Beta looked at him with apologetic eyes. 

“That wouldn’t be necessary, my Lord,” UnSong replied. “The presentation would be quick, just a little speech from King BaekHyun and then the traditional symbol that will show how strong this marriage is. I am sure that you will have enough time to part at the planned hour.”

“Glad to hear that, it would be perfect to spend some time with my Prince before I have to go away.”

ChanYeol put down the bread he was going to eat and looked at DongHae with sad eyes before nodding absently. He felt a rush of anxiety ran through his body at the thought of being completely alone once DongHae stepped on the carriage that would take him home. Even if he had been aware of that since the first day, having to face that situation.

“The citizens are already gathering at the front gates, my Lord,” one of the Elders announced after he entered the room. It was the same man that started to attack ChanYeol the night before.

“Good,” BaekHyun said and the looked at ChanYeol. “We must go now, the sooner we do it, the sooner it will end.”

ChanYeol put the bread down on the plate and sighed. He sent a quick look to DongHae before getting up the same moment BaekHyun did. They walked out of the dining room after saying goodbye. As they came closer to the balcony where the ceremony was going to take place, they started to hear the loud cheers of the people.

“Everything is already prepared, my King,” a maid said. “The Elders are ready too, and Lord UnSong is waiting outside to start the ceremony.”

“Perfect,” BaekHyun said. “Thank you.”

The woman bowed down a little and walked away as the approach the double doors that would take them to the balcony. ChanYeol felt his body tensing up as two guards opened the doors and the cheers became hysterics. The sun hit him in the eyed and he tried to not make a ridiculous face as he walks outside. The Omega felt BaekHyun’s long fingers intertwining with his a few seconds before they were completely visible to the villagers. They look of disgust and disappointment in most of the faces as it was confirmed that their king had married a male Omega made ChanYeol feel worse than he already did.

“Citizens of Mirda,” UnSong started saying making everyone go silent. “In front of you stands Park ChanYeol, Crown Prince of Feniks and the mate that King BaekHyun had to choose to spend his life with. He is your King, he is our King.” They heard some complains but most of the villagers were silent. “Long may the Omega King reign next to our beloved King.”

“Long may he reign,” the people repeated, but it sounded so fake that ChanYeol wanted to puke.

“Now keep silence, the King will talk to you before the ceremony takes place.”

BaekHyun let go of his hand and took some steps forward, leaning his head against the cold marble of the fence as he looked at his people. His eyes traveled around the crow, smiling when he saw the hopeful and proud smiles on their faces. Since he was a kid all he had wanted was to stand there as the King and having the villagers to admire him because he was good. A good king to an important reign.

“People of Mirda,” he started saying. “I know we are in a difficult moment. I’ve been out there, I have seen what Hikas disease had done to my people, our people. And I was horrified by it because I didn’t want to know my reign was dying because of an illness that can be cured. That’s why the reign of my husband had provided us with medicine to cure all the sick. And for those who had lost someone they loved because of the disease, I can only say this: I am sorry. I should have done this earlier, I should have acted before any of us could have died, but I didn’t and I will regret it all my life.”

“You are the best!” a man shouted from the crowd, being followed by many others that started cheering the King. ChanYeol saw BaekHyun genuine smile for the first time in his life.

“Thank you. For those who had lost their loved ones, come in the next days to the castle and ask for help to bury them. I want them to go like they are Kings.” More loud cheers sounded and ChanYeol had to admit that people seem to love BaekHyun. He sounded and looked like a good King. “I also know that our men are fighting against the barbarians. I have been there as well, fighting and defending what ours from those who want to take it away from us.” Complains filled the avenue at those words. “I know, I know.” BaekHyun sighed. “Believe me, I won’t let them win, not now, not ever. We will stand strong as always, and people will learn that nothing, nor illness or war, can defeat Mirda. Because we are fighters, we are survivors, and we will stand here for the rest of our lives.”

ChanYeol frowned a little when the screams became almost unbearable to hear. The people were frantic after BaekHyun’s speech, screaming at the top of his longs ‘Long live the King. Long may he reign.’ The Omega felt a hand wrapping around his wrist and he turned to his left, looking at UnSong. He had caught him off guard.

“It’s time,” the older man said.

The Omega King nodded and waited patiently until BaekHyun turned around and reached out for him. Trying to not look hesitant, ChanYeol intertwined his fingers with BaekHyun’s and moved until they were standing side by side. UnSong stood between them and gave a little nod to the musicians located near them. The anthem of Mirda started playing as the Elders started reciting the official words for the presentation ceremony. A red and gold cloth was thrown over their connected hands and wrapped tightly as a woman started singing along with the song. 

"Here, in front of you, my Gods, we stand to admire the power of love and trust," UnSong recited. "Here, in front of you, our people, we stand to pray for our Kings and their lives, we pray for them to rule peacefully and to be next to each other until the end of times. We pray for their bond to be untouchable and unbreakable."

The cloth was set on fire and ChanYeol tensed up, thinking it would burn their skin or clothes but before the fire could reach any of that, it disappeared and the red and gold cloth turned into dust, floating with the wind and drifting away from them. Then, ChanYeol had to kneel on a small bench that had been placed there when UnSong told him to. As the day before, BaekHyun moved until he was behind ChanYeol and moved his clothes to expose the mark. It was still a little swollen and red, but it didn’t matter. Not when the wound would be open again in a matter of minutes.

“And we, in front of the Eyes of the Gods, are here to witness and celebrate the official union between our King and his Omega.” The crowd held their breath as BaekHyun leaned forward, the music was louder.

The King’s teeth brushed against the sensitive skin and then ChanYeol felt it again: the unbearable pain, the lack of air and the tears in his eyes. The mark was open again as BaekHyun’s teeth sank into his skin, blood filling the other mouth for the seconds the bite had to last. ChanYeol closed his eyes and clenched his teeth to stop a scream from coming out. The music slowly died as BaekHyun retired his teeth, staring at the bloody, red and swollen mark over ChanYeol’s shoulder. His inner alpha was completely satisfied with the result, the strange lines of his teeth looked beautiful in ChanYeol’s skin and it made BaekHyun strangely proud. Some maids rushed to take care of the other King as he struggled to get up. The Omega had to stand beside BaekHyun for a few more minutes as the Elders finished the ceremony and the people cheered the last ‘Long may they reign’. It was over a few minutes later. Now everything was completely official. ChanYeol had become the Omega King of Mirda, BaekHyun’s mate to the eyes of everyone. The thought made the Omega head spun.

“We have to take care of that, my King,” a maid said, she seemed concerned over the pale face ChanYeol had. “You are losing blood from the bite.”

“Okay…” he whispered, walking slowly next to them as they entered the castle again.

“You did well, ChanYeol,” UnSong said with a warm smile. The Omega would have love to smile, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“Thank you,” he said politely. The maids asked him to follow them so they could take care of the bite. Sending a look to BaekHyun, who was busy talking to the Elders, ChanYeol nodded and started following the maids through the hallways. The Omega didn’t get to see how BaekHyun’s eyes followed him until he was out of sight. ….

* * *

ChanYeol had changed his clothes to something less formal and more comfortable to be around the castle. He was waiting for DongHae to arrive at his bedroom to go for a walk before the Beta had to leave. Every time the Omega thought of being alone, without DongHae, he felt his knees giving up and the urge to cry, but he needed to stay strong or the people from Mirda will try to play around with him. Manipulate him like he was a puppet.

“Are you ready?” DongHae asked when he arrived at the room. The Beta was wearing the typical light clothes from Feniks, the blue and silver fabrics mixing in a precious way that made ChanYeol miss his home even more. He smiled, nodding as he stood up from the bed and walked out of the room with DongHae by his side. “I wanted to go to the gardens a little bit, they are the most private place in here,” he said.

“Okay, sounds good,” ChanYeol accepted. They didn’t talk much as they made their way to the garden, greeting every person they met in their way and sending quick looks to an outside zone where BaekHyun and Lord HyukJae were discussing something. ChanYeol smiled at the way DongHae had blushed when his eyes met with the General eyes.

“So,” the Omega started saying as they entered the garden. “What is going on between you and Lord Lee?”

DongHae’s cheeks turned red again as he looked at ChanYeol with a scandalized expression. The Omega King started laughing when the other uttered some incoherent words, becoming a blushing mess.

“Nothing,” he ended up saying. ChanYeol quirked an eyebrow. “I am not lying. Nothing.”

“Sure…” the Omega said, sarcasm filling every letter. “Come on, DongHae, tell me that at least you have enjoyed your stay here.”

The Beta looked away for a few seconds, trying to evaluate if it was a good idea to tell the Omega or not. It was obvious that he had chosen it was because he sighed before taking a deep breath and looking at ChanYeol with a little smile playing on his lips.

“He… He had been courting me,” the Beta admitted. “Every day I receive a bouquet of fresh white magnolias* and a small note with a compliment.” ChanYeol smiled, it was obvious that DongHae felt incredibly pleased with that.

“So he is a gentleman,” he said. The smell of flowers and the sound of the birds made him feel at peace as they walked around a little maze. “Have you two talk privately?”

“Yes, a few times,” he replied and then hesitated a little bit. “He wants to come to Feniks, to see me,” the Beta confessed. ChanYeol smile grew bigger.

“That’s wonderful! He seems interested.”

“Yes, but… He’s an alpha, and I am a beta. And I am old.” ChanYeol frowned.

“How the hell are you old? You are twenty-eight.”

“Old enough for these people, ChanYeol,” he replied. “Remember that for them, age is more important than it is in our homeland. How could I possibly mate with someone when I am almost thirty?”

“It is never too late. If he is interested then what’s the problem? I am pretty sure Lord Lee is the same age as you and he doesn’t care about it.”

DongHae sighed. That walk was supposed to be a way of recomforting ChanYeol before he had to leave, not to discuss his almost inexistent love life. The Beta looked at the Omega and smiled a little bit. ChanYeol seemed so pure at that moment, so young and full of life. He felt a pang on his chest when he remembered he had to leave him behind.

“I will miss you so much,” he said. ChanYeol seemed confused for a moment due to the change of topic but recover quickly and smiled.

“I will miss you too.” “I know it’s going to be tough here, but I will try to return as fast as I can. Just promise me that you won’t let these people bring you down.”

“Don’t worry, DongHae. I’ll be fine,” ChanYeol muttered. “I am aware that these last days I’ve been a little off, overwhelmed with all the changes like, well, I am mated now, but I will pass through it.”

“I am sure you will, you are a King after all. A strong Omega.”

They remained in silence for a while after those words, the two of them lost in their minds. The hour for DongHae’s parting was coming closer and both of them felt like they hadn't said half of what they wanted.

“I know I told you like he seemed nice, and maybe he is. But I also know that you are not getting along, so don’t force yourself to do anything with him you are not comfortable with,” DongHae said after a few minutes. ChanYeol felt his cheeks burning up after he understood the true meaning behind those words.

“I am not planning to do anything I don’t want to,” he said. “Even if it means that I had to close myself in that room forever, I will be patient until the day all of this is over.”

“Or you can try to get along with him…” DongHae suggested. ChanYeol sent him a quick incredulous look before looking at the front again.

“You think way too highly about him,” the Omega said.

“I am trying to be positive, maybe in a few months I’ll be coming to see you happy and in love with the King.”

ChanYeol chuckled; he won’t say no to those words. He knew how capricious destiny could be, but the idea of him getting along with BaekHyun. Not when they couldn’t even stand to be in the same room as the other without feeling like the air was poison.

“Who knows?” the Omega finally uttered. “Seems impossible, but only time has the answer to what would happen. I just hope I can be happy here, I don’t ask for more.”

DongHae and ChanYeol reached the doors to the palace a few minutes later. The sight of the guards waiting for them was a sign that the time for the Beta to part away had come. With heavy hearts, both of them walked to the front gates and looked at each other as the driver finished saving DongHae’s stuff and opened the carriage door for him. “Take care,” the Beta said, hugging ChanYeol tightly. The Omega King closed his eyes and hugged DongHae as well, his hands pressing on his skin trying to make the hug last longer. He wanted the moment to last forever, so that way he wouldn’t be alone.

“I will come to see you as soon as I can,” DongHae promised. “But until then, have this. I am sure you know how to use it.”

ChanYeol took the dagger the Beta put down on his hand and hid it inside his tunic. They hugged one more time before DongHae had to get on the carriage if he wanted to arrive when it was planned. ChanYeol smiled when he saw the way Lee HyukJae approached DongHae, whispering something to the man and making his dear friend blush. More words were exchanged and the Omega King was sure that they had made a promise as well as they held hand for a moment before they broke the contact. With one last look to his Crown Prince, DongHae waved his hand in ChanYeol’s direction and entered the carriage. After a few seconds, the driver moved the reins and the horses started moving, taking the carriage out of the entry with slow steps that got faster as they exited the palace terrains. ChanYeol didn’t enter back to the palace until he saw the carriage disappear on the horizon.

“I know it’s hard to say goodbye to the people you love, my King,” UnSong said. He had been quiet all of the time except for when he bid goodbye to DongHae with a polite bow. “But I know you will be happy here. I have prayed the Gods for that.”

The Omega turned around and looked at UnSong for a moment before giving him a little smile.

“Thank you, my Lord,” that was everything ChanYeol said before entering the palace.

He walked to his room, he already missed DongHae and he had just parted. He was alone now. Completely alone. Even if he was always surrounded by people, he knew the feeling of loneliness and the sensation that he didn’t belong to Mirda won’t disappear. With a heavy sight, ChanYeol opened the door to his room and closed it behind him, taking a few steps inside the dorm before he froze in place. BaekHyun was sitting on the bed, a book between his hands and his eyes lifting when he heard the sound of the door opening. The Alpha closed the book as he got up, making ChanYeol shift his weight from one foot to another uncomfortably.

“Did Lord Lee parted already?” BaekHyun asked.

“He did.”

The King hummed but didn’t say anything. He moved around the room, his eyes always fixed in ChanYeol aware of how tense and distressed he felt. After a few minutes, the Alpha stood in front of the Omega and lifted a hand, moving the clothes until the mark was visible. ChanYeol could see the primitive proudness in his eyes as he examined the bite.

“I know that these months I’ve been a little… distant?” ChanYeol raised an eyebrow. “As I said in my speech, I have many things to face here in Mirda and the fact that I had to marry you looked awful troublesome for me,” the Alpha admitted.

“What are you trying to say?” ChanYeol asked. His eyes and the Alpha’s ones were linked together, neither of them could look away. “Are you going to make up excuses for your rude behavior towards me? Are you going to apologize?”

“To apologize you have to feel sorry and I don’t. I do not regret the way I acted, even if it’s rude to you,” he replied. ChanYeol wasn’t surprised by his statement. “But I do want to change a little bit how everything had been developing lately.”

“And how are you going to do that?” the Omega asked. BaekHyun seemed a little annoyed with ChanYeol’s tone and how he questioned every single word he said.

“I just want you to respect me so that I will respect you,” he explained. “Your duties as my husband will be the political ones, that’s why we got married. Look at this as a commercial deal. You act when you’re needed to and I would make sure that everyone here treats you as you deserve.”

ChanYeol played in his mind with the idea for a while. At first, it seemed like a good deal, but after analyzing every word of the Alpha his mood change and a frown appeared on his face. Respect? Commercial deal? Treat him like he deserves? It sounded fishy to the Omega’s ears and he was not going to accept something he didn’t believe it was true.

“It sounds like a good deal, indeed,” he finally said. “But even if you think I am, I’m not that stupid or desperate to accept it. Do you want me to respect you? Than gain my respect. I am not a trophy wife for you, I am not an object to exhibit and be labeled as a fragile so people won’t talk bad about me.”

BaekHyun seemed genuine surprise by his word, taking some steps backward as he frowned. He was sure that the Omega would accept what he offered, but it seemed like he had been completely room and that DongHae’s words of ChanYeol being more than just an Omega were true. That fierce expression and that challenge in his tone made the Omega completely different from any other he had met before.

“So I have to win your respect?” BaekHyun said.

“I am a person, Alpha,” he almost spat the last word. “I am not an object for a commercial deal. Do you think I would be that easy to manipulate? My father engaged me to some desperate Alpha against my will, and that desperate Alpha treated me like shit since the first moment just because I was not what he expected. Do you think some calculated words will change any of that? That you, here, trying to make peace, a _deal_, would change how I have felt these last weeks?" ChanYeol blinked and the Alpha could see the ghost of a sarcastic smile on his face. "As I said, you have to gain my respect. Then, maybe we can talk again about my duties as your husband.”

BaekHyun didn’t reply, silently accepting the challenge in ChanYeol’s words and walking out of the room with slow steps and a serious face. When the Omega felt the Alpha’s scent disappear, he felt like he could breathe again. He had just threatened an Alpha. His Alpha. A King. And he couldn’t care less about it. He was completely alone now. No one will protect him. No one will defend him. No one will respect him.

No one, but himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! It's been already a month since the last update and I'm sorry for that, but as I said University already started and getting time to write has been difficult. I am not completely proud of how this chapter developed but I was tired of re-writing it so this was the last attempt. Thank you so much for your comments and kudos (already more than 100 kudos!), you are the best ❤︎
> 
> I'm already working on the next chapter and trying to plan the story so that way I can figure out how many chapters will it last and what is going to happen through all the fic. And again: thank you for the love and I hope I can update soon. *insert big heart here*
> 
> Lots of love, dandelionnie (yeah, I change my username).
> 
> -Promotion space: a few weeks ago I posted the first chapter of a Kaisoo minific. It's a post-apocalyptic AU that I will update soon, so if you like this ship you can check it out. 
> 
> *White magnolia: the white magnolia is the official flower of Mokpo city (DongHae's homeland in real life) so it was like a little reference to a real thing about one of my SuJu's bias(?)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you like the story tell me about it in the comments or leave kudos, I will really appreciate it.
> 
> Lots of love, Ali.


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